Ifaluk

The 2000 census of Yap State recorded 561 people living on Ifaluk Island, a coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean nation of Federated States of Micronesia, which was formerly called the Caroline Islands. The primary economic activities of the Ifaluk are fishing and gardening and most of the island’s residents engage in subsistence activities.

The Ifaluk do not have a fixed boundary between self and other, since people assume that it is natural to be influenced by the thoughts and feelings of others. While interpersonal violence is almost nonexistent among the Ifaluk, whenever people do become justifiably angry, they recognize the possibility of aggression and expect their mechanisms of self-control to prevent it. People will remind the angry person of island values: everyone will laugh at you if you fight; you should reject your angry feelings; and remember that other family members will be frightened if you should fight.

Like the Inuit and the Ladakhis, the Ifaluk are also facing the pressing issue of climate change. In the video, “Someplace with a Mountain,” this subject is addressed with great concern since the Ifaluk have already begun to see their crops affected by rising waters. For additional information on the Ifaluk please see the news and reviews and encyclopedia of this website.

“Someplace with a Mountain” (25:00): Sailor and filmmaker, Steve Goodall, came upon a group of remote atolls in Micronesia and soon discovered that these peaceful, but isolated, people were unaware of the concept of climate change. However, as they discussed its growing impact around the world, the islanders became increasingly aware that it was happening to them too. This video was previously reviewed by Peaceful Societies on February 2, 2012.

“Kids in a Canoe Singing: Someplace with a Mountain” (2:50): In this video Steve Goodall shares a brief, but very tranquil, moment when he captures these Ifaluk children passing their time singing while floating along in a canoe. This video was also reviewed by Peaceful Societies on February 2, 2012.